


The Mad Dog and the Mad Scientist

by Tkhan0



Category: Steins;Gate, 龍が如く | Ryuu ga Gotoku | Yakuza (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Spoilers for the entirety of Steins;gate and Y0, and theyre both bittersweet tragedies, as well as Majima Saga in Kiwami 2, really makes you think, the two best het romances in gaming, this is it guys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:53:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26189041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tkhan0/pseuds/Tkhan0
Summary: "City hold some bad memories for ya, huh? What, bad breakup? You lose someone?"Okabe turns to look at him, and Majima watches as a host of emotions washes over his face. A wary look as if he's debating whether he can trust Majima or not, eyebrows then scrunching up as if to askwould he even believe it?Before finally morphing into a look of defeat. He turns away and sighs. "...Something like that.""That so? I'll lend ya an ear, if yer willing to try me. Sometimes it helps to get it off yer chest." Majima suggests, trying to keep the anticipation out of his voice.---Two men who fought tooth and nail so the person they love could live in peace share a conversation and get some things off their chest.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	The Mad Dog and the Mad Scientist

**Author's Note:**

> The crossover absolutely no one asked for but (hopefully) made a few people go "holy shit they probably _would_ bond over that"
> 
> Years ago, when I had first finished steins;gate, I had found myself disappointed by the lack of fanfics- and even moreso in my inability to write any myself- but how do you top perfection, really? 
> 
> Recently, I couldnt put my finger on why Majima's tragedy felt so familiar, until I remembered the only other het romance I've ever truly liked in a video game, and by that point this was just begging to be made. So consider this my contribution to the fandom, finally. And a shill to GO PLAY THE STEINSGATE VN or GO PLAY YAKUZA 0 because both are really really good (and everybody skips the s;g vn in favor of the anime which is really sad because the vn is also superb, and the anime just cant top the medium s;g was originally made for.)
> 
> For the purposes of this fic please pretend the entirety of Steins;gate (and majima saga) takes place in roughly 2007/2008, thank youuu

As a rule, Majima had an air of madness to him that seemed unhampered in it's ability to attract all the crazies to him, no matter the city. It takes one to know one, and after all the events scattered throughout his life, Majima sat pretty high atop that list himself. 

That's why, when a kid in a labcoat bumps into him, he gives his most menancing grin, wondering whether the kid is just blind, dumb, or some mix of the two, to be walking into someone that screamed _Yakuza_ all over them. Most people crossed to the other side of the street as soon as he rounded a corner.

Rather than backpedalling so fast he falls on his ass as Majima expected, the kid pulls away and reaches into his pocket for his phone. Majima watches in amusement as the kid whispers into his phone conspiratorially, shooting him several side-eyed glances. 

Majima comes a little closer, to try and get an ear of what he's saying, and as if sensing there was finally an audience, the kid speaks exaggeratedly, a few decibels louder.

"The Organization is getting bold now. I've never met an agent so outlandishly dressed." A pause. "What?! It's a psychological tactic they're trying out now?" The kid lets out a cackle to rival his own. "As if such cheap tricks could phase me! I'll take care of things on my end. Keep me posted. El. Psy. Congroo!" The kid says, ending the conversation and flipping his phone shut with practiced ease.

The kid turns back around now, and even more surprisingly, addresses him. "You! Eyepatched Fellow! What's your endgame? What is the Organization plotting this time?!"

"Haw? What Organization? What are ya going on about, kid?" While the Yakuza could be considered an organization, that's not necessarily a name they'd go by, and they certainly had no grand unified overarching goals like the kid was suggesting.

"Your tricks are no use on me; my all-seeing eye can see right through your deceptions. Should you continue to be uncooperative, I may have to take matters into my own hands...!" The kid shifts on his feet, raising his hands in an almost provoking manner, but could just as easily be skewed as more defensive than anything else.

Majima could've laughed at this kid's attempt at intimidation- and in fact he almost did- but something about the way he wore that manic grin of his and held his ground gave him pause.

Majima could tell- this was a crazy with years of practice, not unlike his own. When you go as long as he has upholding that kind of persona, it's easy enough to recognize in someone else. It was more subdued, and likely in it's fledgling status, but there was something about it that felt different from your typical chunni nutcase. It was loud and unabashed in it's youthfulness, to an almost annoying degree, and the kid owned it, wielding it like a cloak, or perhaps a crutch. _Kid's hiding something behind this persona of his_ , Majima determines, and files this for later subconsciously.

Well the only way he was ever gonna figure out anything about the kid was if he did a little testing of his own.

"You insinuating somethin', kid?" He asks, lowering himself into a fighting stance. Slowly, methodically, he pulls out his tanto, unsheathing it to highlight the air of danger he wanted to give off. "'Cause I don't take too kindly to slander."

The kid eyes the knife warily, but makes no move to back down, even as he moves back a pace or two unconsciously. Whether from pride or stupidity, the kid continues to address him in spite of the sudden danger. "If you so choose to battle... You will regret crossing paths with I, the insane mad scientist, Hououin Kyouma!" The kid says with a flourish, arms posed in a comedic attempt at a fighting stance. Kid's got moxy, Majima will give him that.

He gives the kid a discerning once over, eye wild, giving his most intimidating, unhinged look, inching closer with the tanto held out from his chest. The kid flinches but doesn't back down, face showing the steely resolve of a man with nothing left to lose- particularly, Majima notes with interest, the face of one who has _already_ given their life to protect the things they love. 

Majima takes a step back, slowly lowering his tanto and relaxing his fighting stance. He sheaths it, before rearing back his head, cackling maniacally, and striding up to place an arm around the kid's shoulder. "I like you, kid! What say ya come grab a drink wit' me?" He asks.

The kid eyes him suspiciously, stiffening under the sudden contact, but a hint of amusement can be found amongst the relief that washes over him, the kid seeming to mull it over in his mind. He steps away from him now, and Majima lets him, turning away and reaching into his pocket to bring his cell to his ear once more. "Yea. It's me. They've lowered their guard- I've convinced one of them to talk. Yea I know- It could be a trap. I'll keep my guard up though. El. psy. Congroo!"

Majima grins at the display- this kid was already turning out to be a riot. When the kid turns back he catches the kid's attention and motions for him to follow and they set off to one of Majima's favorite haunts. 

The door chimes as Majima leads them in, flashing a smile to the bartender, who wordlessly sets to getting him the usual. The kid orders a simple beer and nothing more. 

When they've both finally got drinks in their hands, Majima takes a long sip, swallowing in satisfaction before he wipes his mouth with the back of a gloved hand, fixing the kid with a lazy grin. 

"So, kid. Name's Majima. Yours?"

The kid studies him for a second before returning a sly grin of his own. "An agent of your caliber would surely already know my secret identity- the insane mad scientist, Hououin Kyouma!- but to the rest of the world I am but a humble man by the name of Okabe Rintarou." 

Majima wanted to point out that it wasn't much of a secret identity if he went screaming it at any rando who gave him the time of day, but he kept his mouth shut, merely nodding in acknowledgement. "Right. So what's yer business with me then, _Rin-chan_?" He says, teasing lilt to his voice, as he tests out his newly minted nickname.

Okabe's mouth twitches, as if to correct it, or perhaps suggest a different name, but he refrains. "My business lies not with you, but with the schemes of The Organization! I merely took you up on your offer in the hopes of getting some info out of you that will lead to their demise."

_Ah, so he just wanted someone to talk to then,_ Majima decides. "Again with that organization stuff? Yer loonier than a bin, kid."

"Your attempts at deflection do not have me fooled! Regardless of if you cooperate, the Organization will fall at my hands in due time." As if to emphasize his point, the kid downs the rest of his drink in one go, punctuating his sentence with the sound of his glass hitting the bartop. 

Majima makes a sound of acknowledgement, looking to his own mostly empty cup. "Another round, sir?" the bartender asks, but Majima just shakes his head. "Nah, I'm gonna step out for a smoke." He looks back up to the kid- Rintarou he reminds himself- "You comin'?"

Okabe fidgets with the glass, seemingly conflicted, unsure whether it would be strange to accept the offer- they don't know each other and hardly said a thing over drinks- but looking for all the world like he could still use the company. _Must be new in town_ , Majima thinks. Okabe seems to come to a decision, wordlessly nodding his assent and silently getting up to follow Majima out.

They walk a short distance in companionable silence as the sun begins to set and the air begins to permeate with the unique kind of chill that only exists on midsummer nights. Majima finally stops in front of a lone bench, but makes no move to sit. Okabe doesn't either, deciding instead to stand with him as he rifles through his pockets to grab his cigarette pack and lighter.

They continue to watch as people hustle about through the sunset speckled streets in silence, until Majima offers him a smoke, to which the kid politely refuses. Figures a clean kid like him wouldn't be a smoker.

He lights his cigarette, taking a drag before cutting straight to the chase. "Alright, _Rin-chan_ , I know all the wackos in this city, but I've never seen _you_ around." Majima turns to face him, pointing the burning cigarette at him in accusation. "So what brings you to Kamurocho, kid?" He raises his eyebrows suggestively "Looking to score with the ladies?" That's what most people his age came wandering here for. Kid was a bit lanky, but had a handsome face and kind eyes on him; he could fair pretty well out here.

Suddenly the kid's face takes on a forlorn expression, a world-weariness to him fit for a man over twice his age, as if the experiences of multiple realities had all crashed into him at once. Hell, maybe they had; Majima didn't really know what the youth of today were up to, but it had to take a certain amount of hell for a civvy like him to become their shared kind of crazy, even if the kid had a better handle on it. Majima suddenly got the pervasive feeling there was more to this kid's backstory than it was perhaps even possible to ever learn. 

Feeling as if he were being observed under a microscope, Okabe finally breaks the tension. "N-no. I just needed a break. Needed to get out of the city for a bit." He responds in earnest, persona forgotten, as he returns to being an average kid.

Majima notices the shift, relaxing himself a bit too, raising an eyebrow as he asks "Yea? Where from?"

"Akihabara." 

Majima lets out a low whistle at that. "Nice sprawling tech metropolis like that, can't imagine what had you running for a seedy little place like Kamurocho." He prods.

Okabe averts his gaze. "I just... needed a change of scenery."

Majima was hit with a burning curiousity- call it a hunch, maybe- to catch a glimpse at what makes this guy tick, and seeing his window of opportunity starting to close he decides to double back and press on the line of questioning from before. "City hold some bad memories for ya, huh? What, bad breakup? You lose someone?"

Okabe turns to look at him, and Majima watches as a host of emotions washes over his face. A wary look as if he's debating whether he can trust Majima or not, eyebrows then scrunching up as if to ask _would he even believe it?_ Before finally morphing into a look of defeat. He turns away and sighs. "...Something like that."

"That so? I'll lend ya an ear, if yer willing to try me. Sometimes it helps to get it off yer chest." Majima suggests, trying to keep the anticipation out of his voice.

Okabe studies Majima hard, looking him up and down, searching suddenly for any hidden motive or ill-intention, before shifting, as if to say _fuck it. What else have I got to lose?_ He closes his eyes, composing himself with a breath, before silently nodding at Majima. 

"...Fine. I'll tell you the abridged version." Majima takes this to mean _I'll tell you the version that makes sense_ but doesnt say anything. "You might want to grab another cigarette." Okabe adds passively, taking hold of a bike railing in front of him, as if to steel himself.

"I..." he begins, but stops, searching for the words. "There was a woman, who I met by pure chance. But a series of events unfolded and we ending up sharing almost three weeks together. She helped me through so much... we got so close. And she... after only a few weeks of knowing me... she sacrificed everything so that a friend of mine would be safe. But she..." 

He pauses again, and Majima can't tell if it's from trying to form the words or the pain of recalling it. "She was involved with the wrong people and she was almost killed for it. I couldn't let it happen. She... I loved her, and I'd do anything for her. And finally... _finally"_ and Majima can almost _hear_ the suffering behind that word "I was able to save her. I didn't have to let fate decide." Okabe is clenching the railing so hard his knuckles are white now.

"But in the process, those three weeks... all that time we spent together. She forgot it all. She didn't even know who I was, and I'm... I was okay with that. As long as she's alive, I'm okay with that." Okabe's face darkens. "I _was_ okay with that. But when I got out of the hospital," Majima quirks an eyebrow; he figured some shit must've went down but he'd never have guessed the kid almost _died_ for this girl. "like an apparition she was there. She shouldn't have even known me... but she was there. She wanted to thank me. Said she'd stayed all this time in Japan trying to find me, just so she should could thank me, and it all came rushing back. All my feelings for her, our time spent together; everything. Feelings she'd never return- _couldn't_ return. And I..." he puts his face in his hands now, stifling a sob, before taking a deep breath and composing himself.

He looks up into the depths of the rapidly approaching twilight as he continues. "She left for America and she's doing well for herself now. After everything she's been through, I'm relieved. I'm happy I got to see her one last time." _But I love her so fucking much and I'll never forget her,_ and much much more, goes unsaid. 

It was eerie the silence that had followed. Majima had almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all- not because he didn't believe it, but because he _did_. It was so hauntingly familiar that he had wanted to grab the kid by his collar and ask him just how he got off plagiarizing his life like that.

Instead, he says nothing, schooling his face into a familiar blank expression and lighting another cigarette, taking a drag before responding with a quiet "...You too, huh?"

"What?" Okabe asks, startled. Majima doesn't turn to look at him, leaning onto the railing now too, eye trailing the smoke that wafts up into the night sky.

"It's not exactly the same, the circumstances, but it's close enough. Was around yer age too." Okabe looks taken aback, not expecting to have been taken seriously, and certainly not for someone to claim to understand him. Curious eyes ask all the questions he wants to ask for him, and Majima decides it's only fair he tell his story too. 

He sighs, taking another drag of his cigarette. "Some 20 odd years ago. I was... _acquainted with_ " he says in what he knows must be a funny way, judging by the look he's getting, unable to fully commit to masking the circumstances in which he had been introduced to her. "a woman who was blind. She'd been through some traumatic shit and her brain tried blocking it out by making her blind. For one reason or another she had a fuckton of bad dudes after her... and I may have been one of 'em. At least at first." Okabe eyes the tattoos sticking out of Majima's jacket suspiciously, as if noticing them for the first time. 

"But for some reason that I'll never understand, she decided to put her trust in me. She put her complete trust in a man she'd never even seen. The world had already taken so much from her, that I couldn't stand to see it take more. But in the end... I failed. She lost so much because of those _bastards_ " and he can't help the way his lips involuntarily curl into a snarl as he spits the word out "that the only thing I could do was make sure they'd never be able to hurt her again."

He exhales the smoke deeply, and it comes out more like a sigh, shoulders drooping with the motion. "Which is why... I had to stay away. Long as she didn't have anything t'do with me they wouldn't have any reason to hurt her again. So once I knew she was safe, I disappeared."

"Sometime after everything had finally settled down I ran into her again. She was doing better for herself. She could finally see again, but since she had never seen me she had no clue who I was. And..." Majima exhales a shaky breath before continuing.

"She was just as breathtaking as I remembered." Majima says, voice airy, fingers outstretched slightly, as if imagining her right in front of him, reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Every bone in my body wanted nothing more than to embrace her. But I couldn't do that to her. She had finally escaped the underworld. I couldn't drag her back down with me, not when she could _finally_ live a normal life."

"I wanted her to forget about me- I _needed_ her to forget. And yet... despite my best efforts, she never did. Didn't even have a name or face to go off of, but she returned to the place I first met her. She got married, had a kid, the whole shebang, and yet she still stayed there for years, hoping she'd meet me again. Hoping she'd get to thank me. Crazy ain't it? Refusing to forget about some guy you only knew for a few days. But just last year she finally left Japan to move overseas. She ain't got nothin' t'do with me anymore." Majima takes a final drag of the cigarette, long and harsh. "She's free." Majima exhales the last part, putting out his cigarette with his shoe, far more interested in the steel tips of his shoes than making eye contact.

"But you...?" Okabe hesitantly breaks the silence, trailing off.

"What about me?" Majima snaps, trying to suppress the irritation prickling at him. 

Okabe is silent for a long time, voice barely a whisper above the buzz of the city when he speaks again. "...You never stopped loving her, did you?" 

Majima stares ahead with an unfocused gaze, tone emotionless as he responds "Not once. Not a day ever went by these past 20 years where I didn't think about her."

"Majima-san..." Okabe begins, breaking Majima out of his stupor, but doesn't meet Majima's eye when he turns his attention back to him.

"Hm? What's on yer mind, kid?"

Okabe suddenly finds the insides of his labcoat pockets the most interesting thing in the world, hands stuffed in, fiddling with something inside "...Does it ever stop hurting?" He stills, holding a breath in anticipation of the answer.

Majima flashes him a sad, knowing smile, a gentle hand reaching for his shoulder." 'fraid not, kid..."

Okabe closes his eyes, exhaling deeply through his nose before looking back up again, staring off into the few stars dotting the skyline that are visible in the city. "I think... I think that's okay. This is the future I- the future _everyone_ fought for. As long as she's alive... that's all I can ask for."

"Listen, Rin-chan..." Majima starts.

"Please" Okabe interrupts "Call me Okarin."

Majima hums contemplatively, rolling the nickname around in his mouth before nodding. "Alright, Okarin then. Promise me somethin'. If this girl of yours crosses paths with you again... If fate reconnects you two for whatever reason. Take that chance and don't look back. Don't run away." _Don't let her walk away_ "You... yer not like me." _You wouldn't be dragging her down_ "Ya don't..." Majima takes a deep breath, and tries again. "You deserve to be happy." _You could make her happy_ "And I know you'd do right by her if it ever came down to it. And I think, deep down, she knows it too." 

Okabe frowns at the implication. "I think you deserve happiness too, though, Majima-san."

"Nah." Majima dismisses him with a handwave. "Happiness ain't in the cards for someone like me. Comes with the territory." He gestures vaguely at himself.

Okabe furrows his eyebrows in a way that's strangely Kiryu-like when he says "I dont think that's true..." He hesitates, as if he wants to say more, but doesn't know quite what. "But alright. I won't run away from whatever fate has in store for me." Okabe looks up with newfound conviction. "But you're not allowed to run either, Majima-san. 

"Ehh?"

Determination sets Okabe's features as he stares him down. "You're not allowed to deny yourself happiness, whatever shape it comes in, no matter how much you tell yourself you don't deserve it, Majima-san."

Majima studies him for a moment, in wide-eyed surprise, before he slips into a relaxed smile. "Heh, yer sharper than ya look, Okarin. Fine; you've got yerself a deal." Majima concedes with a grin, holding out a gloved hand. Okabe takes it gladly, giving it a firm shake, before both their hands return to rest at their sides. 

As the sounds of city nightlife begin to buzz around them, Majima slings an arm around his shoulder again, unable to contain his mirth as he asks "So, has anyone ever showed you the best place to get takoyaki this side of Japan?"gently leading Okabe down the street. 

And if there happens to be a plane ticket to America booked under his name waiting for Okabe in his hotel room when he gets back, the staff don't say from who. But he can take an educated guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted this to be longer (and more comforting...) but I was already struggling with it as is... orz
> 
> I went back to watch the true ending of the steinsgate vn to write this and I started mentally comparing it to majimas reunion with makoto and fuck my heart hurts from both of those ; ~ ; bonus points if youre like me and you remember the steins gate movie, where okabe was ready to be erased from all the timelines and forgotten entirely if it meant kurisu and mayuri stayed safe. He's a keeper too, kurisu!
> 
> This would have been ten times sadder if it was steinsgate 0 okabe and majima, and if youve seen 0 you KNOW why. Extreme guilt isnt a very nice look on okabe :(
> 
> Stay tuned for makoto and kurisu next (hopefully), because im incredibly self indulgent and cant help myself.
> 
> Please feel free to yell at me about Steins;gate or Yakuza in the comments or over at my [tumblr](https://tksfandomhellhole.tumblr.com/)


End file.
